1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an electronic apparatus and a method for processing an image thereof, and for example, to an electronic apparatus that processes a spherical image and a method for processing an image thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
With the increasing interest in Virtual Realty (VR), various types of 360-degree photographing apparatuses for personal use have been developed and came on the market. Further, it is expected that the 360-degree photographing apparatus will be applied to an omni-directional Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), a black box, and so on.
As 360-degree images are produced in diverse fields, there is a growing necessity for analyzing the images. As an example, in a CCTV or a black box, it is necessary to detect an event or detect and track an object. As another example, various kinds of apparatuses, such as, a Head Mounted Device (HMD), a personal computer (PC), or a television (TV), provide a function for a user to enjoy 360-degree contents. In this case, image analysis is required to provide auto-movement of viewpoint.
There are diverse methods for detecting a feature, extracting a feature point, applying an image filter, detecting an object, or tracking an object, but such methods have been developed only for the conventional image and are still inadequate to process a planar image generated by projecting a 360-degree image.
By way of example, an equirectangular image is generated by projecting a surface of a sphere in an equirectangular manner. The equirectangular image is characterized in that its shape is more distorted towards both poles, and the poles are extended in a widthwise direction of the image. Accordingly, an image analyzing method for a general image is not suitable for the equirectangular image, and the performance may be degraded due to distortion of the equirectangular image.
Further, in the 360-degree image, edge parts of the image are cut off unavoidably as a sphere is spread out to a plane. That is, in the equirectangular image, an object on a left edge part and an object on a right edge part are connected originally, and it is difficult to detect a feature or an object from the disconnected part.
Accordingly, there are efforts to seek a method for improving performance of analyzing and processing a 360-degree image.